Strap assembling apparatus



Dec.7,194s. i Hf ALFANDgE 2,455,545

STRAP ASSEMBLING `APPARATUS Y Filed Aug. 2 7. l1945l 5 Sheets-sheet 1 www 'ATToRNEY Dec.Y 7, 1948. H. ALFANDRE STRAP ASSEMBLING APPARATUS 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Aug. 2'?.` 1946 INVENTOR. mwa/www5@ BY ((1 V ATTORNEY In this way, the rack 60 forms a continuation of the strip and the buckles 62 on the latter slide directly onto the rack when leaving the strip.

The forward end of the slide 32 is cut aWay at 14 (Figs. 1 and 3) to form a shoulder 16 with which to advance a buckle in a track 18 from adjacent the discharge end 60 of the rack to an assembly station A (Fig, 3). The track 18 is formed by grooves 19 in the adjacent edges of cooperating clamping jaws 80. One wall of each of the grooves 19 is machined away as at 8| (Figs.

1 and 3) so as to admit a buckle from the rackvy 60 into the track 18. The side walls of the guide u grooves 19 in the jaws 80 adjacent the rack discharge end 60, which are flush with the-cutaway end 14 of the slide 32 (Fig. 3) ,are so spaced from said rack discharge end thatl only the lowerare operatively connected by a cross member I I9. Rod ||8 carries at its lower end blades |20 and |22, which are adapted to interlace or interloop tapes with a buckle 62 at the assembly station A (Fig. 2). The other rod I|6 is connected by a link |24 with a foot pedal (not shown), and is normally urged by a compression spring |26 into the uppermost position shown in Fig. 1 in which ,anfadjustablecollar |28. ,ons aid rod ||6 engages `one'of thearms I,I4 of?A the pedestal ||2. On depression 'of the proper foot pedal by the operator of the apparatus, the blades and |22 on the rod ||8 are lowered through intermediation of rvthe parts '|24,` I|6 and H9, and perform their designated yoperations to be described hereinafter.

"'In using'the present apparatus, the slide 32 is rst advanced forthe transfer of a buckle 62 from most buckle on the rack may descend into the track 18 and clear the rack, while all the other buckles on the rack are held on the latter. Hence, the rack permits the gravity discharge of one buckle at a time into the track 18. f y

Preferably, one of the jaws is fixed, and the other jaw is pivotally mounted at 84 `on the block 24 and normally urged toward its companion jaw by a spring 86which is anchored at 88 on the bracket 58. The yielding jaw 8.0' (Fig. 1) is normally urged into engagement with the adjacent side wall of the bracket 58, in which position said jaw 80" is slightly inclined with respect rto its companion jaw so. that said jaws permit the unobstructed gravity discharge of a bucklefrom the rack 60 into the track 18, but clamp a buckle on its advance movement in said track and particularly when it is at the assembly station A.

Pivotally mounted at 90v on opposite sides of the block 24 are the legs 92 of a U-shaped stop 94 (Figs. 1, 4 and 5), the yoke 96 of which has a bevelled surface 98 (Fig. 3) that terminates in a lip |00. The stop 94 is normally urged by springs |02 into the operative position shown in Fig. 3, in which bevelled surfaces |06 on the legs 92 of said stop engage the correspondingly bevelled ends |08` of the projecting legs 26. of the block 24 in the fashion shown in Fig. 3. The springs |02 are anchored at |04 on the legs 26 of the block 24 (see `also Fig. 4). In the operative position of the stop 94 (Fig, 3) its lip |00 Projects into the confines of the track 18 and serves to pre-4 vent backward or reverse movement in said track of a buckle at the assembly station. The foremost end of the slide 32 is also bevelled as at ||0 (Figs. l and 3) and is adapted, during an advance or feed stock of the slide, to cooperate with the bevelled surface 98 of the yielding stop 94 and cam the latter out ofthe path of forward movement of said slide and of a buckle being transferred thereby in the track 18. As soon'` as a buckle 62 has been advanced by the slide 32 in the track 18 to the assembly station A therein (Figs. 2 and 3a), the lip |00 of the yielding stop 94 will, on being cleared by the retracting slide 32, project into the track 18 and prevent backward .movement of the advanced buckle in the track.

18 from the assembly station A. The stop 94 is preferablyprovided with a 1ug|09 (Figs. 1 and 2) which, in the operative position of said stop, prevents spreading of. the jaws 80 to an extent where a buckle therebetween at the assembly station A could `dropout or be removed therefrom" in a direction laterally of the plane of said buckle. Suitably mounted at ||0` on the base 20 of the 1 apparatus is apedestal 2 having lateral'arms I |4 in which parallel rods I6 and I I8 are slidably mounted. The upper ends of the rods IIB, ||8` the` rack 60 to the assembly station A in the track 18 (Fig. l2), as previously described. The shorter one (|30) of two tapesy |30 and |32 is then lheld by handabetween the buckle 62.' at the assembly station A and theI raised bladesl |20, 22. The bladeicarrying rod' 8 is then lowered, by foot pedal actionas explained, into its lowermost position, whereby the blade |20 threads the tape |30 through the aligned slot 64a Yof the buckle 62 as shown in full lines in Fig. 8.` The tape thus .threadedthrough the buckle is then folded into overlapping relation at its ends and impaled on `a pin |34 which, asshown in Fig. l, may be an open safety-pin carried by a `suitable holder |36 which may beof the type' shownand described in the Alfandre et al'.,*Patent No. 2,267,675, dated December 23, 1941. The pin holder |36 is pref- `Aerably clamped to the base 20 of the apparatus by a vscrew fl38 which extends through a longitudinal slot |40 in said holderv |36, wherefore the Ilatter is adjustable on thebase 20 rotatably as 'well as longitudinally. The pin holder 36 is preferably so adjusted that the tape |30, when impaled on thev pin |34, is held away from the Abuckle 62' in the fashionshown in Fig. 9, so as lto be out of the pathof theblades |20 and |22 v'for' the interlacing of the longer tape |32 with the buckle 62.

For interlacing the longer tape .|32 with the buckle 62", theblade-carrying fr'od II-S is, after its rst descent,` held in thelowermost position shown in Fig. 8 in which a notch |42 in the blade |20 is below the buckle 62'.' vWhilethe rod I|8 is thus held in its lowermostposition, the tape |32 is near one end/thereof projected by hand into the notch |42ufof`the blade |20 in the manner shown by dot-and-dash lines I 32a in Fig. 9,

. whereupon the rod' II 8 lis permitted to springreturn to its uppermost position. When the rod I I8 is thus retracted from its lowermost position. the notch |42 inthe blade |20 tak'es `the tape |32 along and passes it vthrough the slot 84a of the buckle,V 62V in the vmanner ,shown infull lines in Fig. '.9." The end 'of' the" tape |32 thus passed through the buckle 62 is then turnedover into 'the dot-and-dash Aline position |32b in Fig; 9,

i. e., into the path of the bladel |22. The bladecarrying rodI I8 is thereupon lowered as before, whereby 'the 'descending bladev |22 passes the tape end |321) through the aligned slot 64b in the buckle t2'l in therashion shown in Fig. 10.

The blade-carrying rod"| I8 is then permitted to spring-returnwtoitsvup'permost position, and the Superposed portions nof the tape |32 at the buckle '62 (Figjlifarethen grasped by the operator and inserted edgewise ofjsaid buckle through 'the,[transMerSeLsIQt 68 into the communicating S101; 'ste i'n sindy buckle dug; 11); This finishes outside of the latter, a mounting for said' rack at one side of said .track to which the projecting rack portion outside the stackedparts is attached for disposing said rack within the connesof said track in position to lead the stacked 'parts into said track, yand means for-advancing apartin said track.

10. 'In apparatus for assembling a strap and a buckle having an opening and a slot narrower than said opening leading from the latter to the buckle periphery, the combination' of a track leading to an assembly station, a rail projecting into the'slots andopenings of 'a stack of said buckles to hold the latter in superposed relation,

said rail projecting through thev slots of the stacked buckles thereon to the outside of the latter, av mounting for said rail at one side 'off said track to which the projecting railportionoutside the stacked buckles is attached for disposingsaid rail within the confines ofsaid track in position to lead thestacked buckles into said track, and

means foradvancing a buckle 'in said track to said assembly station. w

11. In apparatus for assembling la strap and a buckle having a strap-receiving opening and'a slot leading from the latter to the buckle periphery, companion jaws for releasably holding a buckle with the slot thereof facing one of said jawsysaid one jaw being constructed to expose the slot in said buckle to admit a strap edgewise of vsaid buckle through the slot thereof into the opening therein. f

12; In apparatus for assembling a strap and a buckle having a strap-receiving opening and a slot leading "from the latter `to the buckle periphery, opposite jaws for releasably holding a buckle with the slotthereof -facing one of said jaws, said one jaw terminating short Yoffthe slot in said buckle to admit a strap edgewise of the buckle through the slot thereof into the opening therein. 13. In apparatus for assembling a strap and a bucklel having a strap-receiving opening and a vslot leading from the latter to the buckle periphery, opposite jaws forreleasably holding a buckle with the slot thereof facing one of said jaws, and a stop projecting betweensaid jaws forlocating said buckle in said jaws, said one jaw'terminating short of the slot in the located buckle to admit a strap edgewise of said buckle through the slot thereof into the opening therein.

14. In apparatus for assembling a strap and a Abuckle having a peripheral notch, opposite jaws for'releasably holdingv a buckle at an assembly station,-and means for delivering abucklefrom a supply to said jaws so. that the notch in said buckle .faces one of said jaws, said one jaw terminating short of the notch in a buckle at said assembly station to admit a strap edgewise of the buckle int-o the notch thereof.

``15. Apparatus for assemblinga strap and a buckle having astrap-receiving slot :and a peripheral'notch, comprising oppositel jaws for releasablyholding a buckle at an. assembly: station, means for delivering a buckle from a'supply to said'jaws so that the notch inV said buckle faces one `of said jaws, said one jaw terminating short of the'notchin a buckle at said assembly station to admit a strap` edgewise ,of Vsaid buckle into the notch thereof, and means for passing a strap through the slot in albuckle at said assembly station. v16. Assembling apparatus as set forth in claim 15, in'which said .jaws are relatively yielding Ato grip abuckle therebetween. l

Y "17. In apparatus for assembling a strapv and a buckle having a peripheral notch, opposite jaws for releasably holding' a bucklefat an assembly station, a magazine for holding a multiplicity of buckles in stackedrelation'and including vmeans -for orienting said bucklesso that'their notches face 'in the same direction, and means for transferring buckles from said magazine to said jaws so that theirv notches face oneof said jaws, said one jaw terminating short of the notch of a buckle at said assembly station to admit a strapedgewise of said buckle' into the notch thereof. i'

18. Apparatus for .assembling astrap and a buckle having a slot` and a peripheral notch, comprising a track yfor buckles 4having opposite guideways leading to an assembly station, a magazineA remote from said assembly station holding a stack of superposed buckles and leading them `into said track, said magazine includ- 4ing means for' orienting said buckles so that theirv notches face one of said guideways, said guidew'ays holding a buckle at' said assembly stationand said one guideway terminating short of the 4notch of a buckle atsaiddischarge station to admit a strap edgewise of said buckle.V

REFERENCES oi'rEn fThe following vreferencesa're of record in the file of this patent:

. UNITED STATES PATENTSA Number y Name Date 2,114,795 Chabon Apr. 19,` 1938 2,265,782 i Shanlson Dec. 9, 1941 2,274,795 Kloek et al. Mar. 3,1942

Alfandre May 1, 1945 

